Did Andy Reid force John Dorsey out over Jeremy Maclin?

Given the surprise nature of the firing of John Dorsey, it’s interesting to consider whether Andy Reid helped to force him out over Jeremy Maclin.

When Jeremy Maclin was released a few weeks ago, it was the biggest surprise for Chiefs Kingdom this offseason. A few weeks later, a bigger decision, the move to part ways with general manager John Dorsey as announced by team owner Clark Hunt, has dropped a much bigger bomb on everyone, including players and NFL analysts.

It’s not a stretch to wonder whether the two events are connected. In short, is the release of Jeremy Maclin, and more specifically the handling of it, to blame for John Dorsey’s exit? Remember that Dorsey not only released Maclin but that he let the wide receiver know via a voice mail message. In subsequent interviews, Maclin expressed his wish for a more respectful approach, stating that he’d wished Dorsey had simply tried to call him back and tell him in person rather than leave the details via a phone message.

Andy Reid was known for being close to Jeremy Maclin, who’d played for Reid in both Philadelphia with the Eagles and in Kansas City. Reid mentioned after Maclin’s release that it was the worst part of the job to lose players like Maclin, and Maclin himself mentioned that the NFL is a business and that players would be better off to never forget that. Could the tension of how this went down have affected Dorsey’s job?

Dorsey was already in the last year of his contract, as was Reid, on Thursday and Clark Hunt said the decision to part ways came after Dorsey realized his deal would not be extended. Could Andy Reid have played hardball with Dorsey and Hunt as he expressed his frustration over Maclin? If there were already fractures in the relationship, perhaps Maclin was the proverbial icing on the cake. It makes no sense as a standalone move, but if it’s representative of different ways of thinking or different approaches to players, maybe the decision was made by Hunt to simply appreciate Reid’s contributions and perspectives more.

If that’s indeed how it went down, any notions of equal footing or Reid-as-coach-only are total lies being told in order to entice possible replacements. However, the reality is that this looks like the Reid show along with Hunt’s full endorsement.